In a change from her usual tune, The Biggest Loser trainer and fitness fanatic Jillian Michaels has warned others against going back to the gym after revealing she caught COVID-19 from a friend there.
The 46-year-old celebrity trainer, who revealed earlier in the week she recently recovered from the virus, says anyone worried about contracting COVID-19 "should not go to the gym".
"I actually am a person who let my guard down, I haven't even spoken about this publicly really, and a very close friend of mine gave me COVID several weeks ago," she told Fox Business.
"I'm fortunate to have gone into it being healthy and I was able to get on the other side of it pretty quick, but not everybody is that lucky, as we know.
"All I can tell you is if you are afraid of getting COVID, a public gym is probably a place where you will get it."
The main issue, Michaels says, is being in close contact with other people breathing heavily, sweating or sneezing during a workout.
"I would love to tell you that's not the case, but the reality is I literally let my guard down for an hour with one of my best friends... it's just that simple."
Of course, Michaels is talking about gyms in her home of California, which has had over 700,000 cases of COVID-19 overall, and almost 14,000 deaths.
While most gyms across New Zealand have reopened following Auckland's recent COVID-19 alert level 3 lockdown, social distancing practices are in place at levels 2 and 2.5, with equipment spacing and limited numbers in group classes.
Health experts recommend that those heading to the gym during the pandemic take their own towel and water bottle, don't use a machine without wiping it down first and avoid going at all if feeling even slightly unwell.
